In the renewed NDA Council of Ministers, seven women were sworn in as ministers of state (MoS), while prominent leaders including Nirmala Sitharaman and Smriti Irani were retained. (File Photos)
Anupriya Patel: President of BJP’s ally Apna Dal (S) and Lok Sabha MP from Mirzapur, UP; serving her second term; was earlier MoS-health in the Modi government; was a professor before entering politics.Meenakshi Lekhi: Lekhi was a familiar face on TV as BJP’s spokesperson. In 2010, she was appointed national vice-president of BJP’s women’s wing. She is known for her case pertaining to permanent commissioning of women in the armed forces in Supreme Court.Annpurna Devi: First-time MP from Kodarma, Jharkhand; was a four-time MLA and also served as a minister in the states of Jharkhand as well as Bihar; she has done Masters in History from the Ranchi University.Pratima Bhoumik: First-time MP from Tripura West Lok Sabha seat; the 52-year-old BJP leader is from a humble background and holds a graduate degree in Bio-Science; is the first to be made minister from the state in three decades.Bharati Pravin Pawar: A first-time Lok Sabha MP from Dindori in Maharashtra; holds MBBS degree and was a medical practitioner before joining politics; the 42-year-old also served as member of Nashik Zila Parishad.Shobha Karandlaje: Lok Sabha MP from Udupi Chikmangalur in Karnataka; was an MLA and MLC earlier; is a close associate of Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddiyurappa; was a minister in his cabinet earlier.Darshana Vikram Jardosh: A three-time MP from Gujarat’s Surat; was member of the Gujarat Social Welfare Board; an OBC face of the party; has served as a member of different committees of Parliament.Nirmala Sitharaman will continue in office. (Photo | PTI)Smriti Irani was retained after the Cabinet reshuffle. (File Photo | PTI)Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti is asked to continue in office. (Photo| PTI)Renuka Singh Saruta will resume as MOS in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. (Photo | VP's Twitter)